Each week during the 2025 Kansas legislative session, we will provide Johnson County lawmakers the opportunity to share their thoughts about what is happening in the state capitol.
Below is a submission from Democratic Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, who represents Kansas House District 21, covering portions of Overland Park and Prairie Village.
The Post has also extended offers to Republican Rep. Carl Turner and Republican Sen. TJ Rose to submit Capitol Updates this week, as well.
The views expressed in each Capitol Update are solely those of the lawmaker.
This is not the update that I was hoping to submit. I was hoping that I could report that both parties in the Kansas House are working in a bipartisan way to bring forward legislation that would benefit all Kansans. That is simply not happening.
Thankfully there are a few exceptions.
I have served on the Special Water Committee for five years and we have done some outstanding work — in a bipartisan way — to make sure that Kansas does not run out of water needed for agriculture and that our drinking water remains clean, plentiful and easily available.
It shows what good things can happen when you have a committee chair (Rep. Jim Minnix, a Republican from Scott City) who works with all members of their committee, regardless of party affiliation and all committee members agree to work together to address an issue that will have a critical impact on our people and our economy.
Concerns over tax priorities
This is my seventh year on the House Taxation Committee and my constituents have made it clear that what we need most is property tax relief.
Even though we have an excellent Committee Chair (Rep. Adam Smith, a Republican from Weskan), GOP leadership controls the process and they seem more focused on tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations in Kansas rather than Kansas families who are having a hard time paying their property taxes.
It is no secret in Topeka that Republicans favor initiating a zero (0%) corporate income tax! That would take us right back to the Brownback “tax experiment” that almost bankrupted our state in 2016. I will continue to fight for property tax relief and against a 0% corporate income tax.
Worries about education funding
Another major concern for my constituents is that the state continues to fully fund public education in Kansas, including special education.
Every year we have to fight Republican efforts to divert public tax dollars into the coffers of private schools, who can pick and choose the students they accept, and home schools, which have absolutely NO state oversight concerning how that tax money is being spent nor the quality of education those children are receiving.
As the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee for five years, I will continue to fight to see that public tax money goes to our PUBLIC schools.
Frustration over Medicaid expansion
Sadly, for the ninth year in a row, Republican leadership has also blocked any way forward for Medicaid expansion.
So now Kansas will continue to send almost a billion dollars of our federal tax dollars to Washington, D.C., to be distributed to the 40 states that have had the common and economic sense to pass Medicaid expansion.
Kansans will continue to die due to this action, we will continue to put many hospitals at risk for closing and we will be turning down the creation of thousands of good paying health care jobs. It makes absolutely no sense at all!
How to attend a monthly lawmaker roundtable
This is just the tip of the iceberg about what is going on in Topeka.
If you would like more detailed information I would highly encourage you to attend our Senate 7 Constituent Meeting that’s held the 4th Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM at the Sylvester Powell Center in Mission, 6200 Martway St.
The meeting is open to ANYONE who is interested in what is going on in Topeka. This will be the 50th month in a row myself and other local lawmakers from northeastern Johnson County have held the meeting.
It is an excellent opportunity to meet your elected officials, including Sen. Ethan Corson, Reps. Stephanie Clayton, Jarrod Ousley, Rui Xu an myself, as well as Johnson County Commissioner Becky Fast and State School Board member Melanie Haas.
It is an opportunity to interact with your elected officials, get an update on what’s happening in Topeka, talk some politics, ask questions and enjoy some doughnuts and coffee. I hope to see you there.
